By TN Ashok
Washington, June 24: The UK media led by the Guardian and the middle east voice A Jazeera see the high profile visit accorded by US President Joe Biden to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a major ramp up of americas efforts to counter China in trade and military might as President Joe Biden proclaimed that the US-India relations on both the economic and geo-political front has never been stronger and in an unprecedented manner rolled out a series of strategic defence and economic deals during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic 4-day visit to the most powerful democracy in the world.
The official state visit of Prime Minister Modi is the highest-ranked diplomatic invitation extended to a foreign leader reflecting the US’s importance attached to India and reflects a sign of the US president’s national security priorities as his administration seeks India’s support on the trade and military front as a partner against China.
Chinas’ aggressive postures on the South China seas have worried Biden as leader of the Quad summit and also the recent incursions by China into India in the Himalayan heights, UK media reported reviewing the visit.
India is now linchpin : US looks at Modis’ just concluded visit as a counter to China even as it downplayed any criticism of the Chinese leader XI Jin Ping.
Joe Biden pronounced the US-India relationship as never stronger than before and had rolled out a series of new business deals on the second day of the Indian prime minister’s state visit, but Modi’s trip was not without a step of his comfort zone even as the White House rejected 70 congressmen, mostly democrats, controversial call for “Biden to address India’s continuing crackdown on religious and press freedoms.”
The UK’s Guardian noted that while Biden called the Indo US relationship among the most consequential in the world and “more dynamic than at any time in history, PM Modi had declared that peace and security in the Indo-Pacific regions is our priority and that India and US should work shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism and fundamentalism (an apparent reference to Pakistan sponsored terrorism across the LAC and Iran’s dubious nuclear programme).
Biden said: “We talked about our shared efforts to mitigate humanitarian tragedies unleashed by Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine and to defend core principles of the UN charter. “ In an unprecedented gesture, the Guardian noted that while normally Biden called out for questions, the Indian PM Modi surprised everyone at the White House. Modi said in an apparent reference to the 70 democrats demand and question on human rights violations, “I was surprised by the critique. There is absolutely no space for discrimination. In India the benefits provided by the government are accessible to all.”
Biden had been criticised by 70 congressmen, mostly democrats who had questioned the red carpet treatment for Modi , who they claimed was seen by the West as moving towards intolerance to criticism. Modi has also faced criticism from the West for not more forcefully criticising Russia’s war in Ukraine, but the Indian foreign office had firmly declared that it was India’s prerogative to safeguard its national and security interests especially in terms of energy security in terms of oil supplies affected by sanctions.
Biden on his part said , when asked about the human rights and democratic issues in India, “The prime minister and I had a good discussion about democratic values – that’s the nature of our relationship, we’re straightforward with each other.”
The Guardian hailed the agreements forged between US and India, US-based General Electric will partner with India-based Hindustan Aeronautics to produce jet engines for Indian aircraft in India and the sale of US-made armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, a major breakthrough in defence deal and defense cooperation. .
The British media also noted as significant the Biden administration plans to bolster India’s semiconductor industry. “We made critical and emerging technologies the pillar of our next generation partnership to ensure these technologies promote and protect our values, remain open, accessible, trusted and secure,” the publication Biden said.
A news network , which virtually represents the voice of the middle east, observed that Washington wants India to be a strategic counterweight to China and sees it as a critical partnership, although some analysts and former officials question India’s willingness to stand up collectively to Beijing over issues such as Taiwan. Washington has also been frustrated by India’s close ties with Russia amid Moscow’s war in Ukraine, the nes network noted.
The network however touted the trade and investment partnership between India and America as important not only for our two countries but for the global economy as stated by Biden. Modi touted “a new chapter” to the countries’ “strategic partnership”, the report noted. Modi is seeking to raise the influence that India, the world’s most populous country at 1.4 billion, has on the world stage in the wake of estrangement with China on several issues including the skirmishes on the Himalayan heights and its border road programmes.
China was the hamletian ghost at the Biden Modi meet because the US believes it’s on a collision course with it which is driving the relationship between Washington and India, CNN said in a special report. Biden made clear that he sees India as the pivot to helping preserve the Western-led global international order, a set of rules-based principles and values that China is seeking to challenge.
While there has been no official reaction from China and Russia on the result of Modi visit to the US, the Chinese official media slammed the visit a day before as “pushing India and ramping up its efforts to harass China’s economic progress”.